LOS ANGELES - UCLA Athletics hosted the Fifth Annual Marathon Kids Final Mile Medal Celebration this past Saturday at Drake Stadium. Over five thousand kindergarten through 5th graders, their families and teachers from around the greater Los Angeles Area returned to mark the end of the five-month program. Head women's Track & Field Coach Jeanette Bolden was on hand to welcome the participants on behalf of UCLA. Participants ran the final lap, and a half of their incremental 26.2 mile marathon, and were awarded their participant medals by UCLA student-athletes and community volunteers. Over 150 Bruin student-athletes and staff were on hand to cheer on the participants as they accomplished their goal and received their finisher medals.

"I am encouraged with the growth of Marathon Kids over the past five years," said Bolden. "It is wonderful to see kids and their families embracing an active life style. We are also thankful to the many teachers who play a important role in this process. The UCLA Athletic Department has embraced this program and I look forward to its continued success."

This is the fifth year that UCLA Athletics has hosted the Marathon Kids program. Marathon Kids® is a 15-year-old non-profit organization that targets children most vulnerable to childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Birthed as a grassroots initiative, it is now in several Texas cities (Austin, Dallas, Houston, Rio Grande Valley), Baltimore, Maryland, and Chicago, Illinois. There are over 172,000 kindergarten through 5th graders now participating in the nationally recognized, free Marathon Kids Program.